McFadden highlights Coosan NS issue
Local Fine Gael TD Nicky McFadden has highlighted the need for a new school building for Coosan NS.
"Coosan National School was originally built at its current site on the outskirts of Athlone, in 1964, as a two teacher country school. Five new classes were built, converting the original two classrooms into a GP room in 1987. The current school consists of the main building, housing five mainstream classes, one language, and two resource teachers. The GP room now again being used as a classroom," Deputy McFadden said.
"A further eight mainstream classes, along with one language, one learning support, and one resource teacher, are in prefabs. The school enrolment, now 351, stood at 247 in 2005, a 42% growth in the period. Of the 351 pupils enrolled in the school, 226 (64.5%) are being educated in prefabs," Deputy McFadden said.
"Currently three of these prefabs are being rented, at an annual cost to the Department of Education and Science in excess of €32,000. Two were purchased by the board of management, and six are the property of the Department. The school no longer has any form of indoor activities area. There is no gym, no hall, and nowhere for band practice or assembly."
"The growth in enrolment is a direct result of increased housing development in the school's catchment, and the expectation is that this growth in school going numbers, will continue over the next four or five years as many young families have moved into the area." "Having been originally sanctioned by the Department for development of a new sixteen classroom school on the present site in Jan 2007, the process was put on hold after a design team had been appointed subject to Department approval," Deputy McFadden said. She said in September 2010, the design team was approved and has since presented its report to the department. "Subject to Department approval, the school is now ready to seek planning permission from Westmeath County Council," Deputy McFadden said.
